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Rocket Launcher Found In Car Driven By NorCal Teen

NOVATO (CBS SF) — A 15-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday for possession of a destructive device after a 4-foot rocket launcher was found in the backseat of the SUV he was driving, Novato police said.

The unlicensed Novato teen was stopped by a police traffic officer around 9:40 a.m. in the 1700 block of Novato Boulevard for playing music too loudly in the Dodge Durango, according to Cpl. Nick Frey.

The teen was alone in the SUV when the officer spotted the unloaded AT4 rocket launcher in the backseat.

Police called the bomb squad from the University of California at Berkeley Police Department, which took possession of the rocket launcher and turned it over to a local military institution.

The teen was booked into juvenile hall. His brother, a former member of the military, also came to the scene of the incident. Police are investigating how the teen obtained the weapon.

The incident closed Novato Boulevard near Seventh Avenue until 1 p.m.

Scott Bauer, deputy director of Marin County Library Services, said 50 people, including eight to 10 staff members, were evacuated from the library at 1720 Novato Boulevard during the incident.

The single-shot, recoilless weapon was developed in the early 1980s and is manufactured in Sweden and the United States.

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